The case of Nenad Rasković, who claimed that he was assaulted by members of the Kosovo Police, has taken another turn following the Kosovo Police’s denial of involvement and reports that Rasković was sent to Belgrade for medical treatment.
The Kosovo Police has rejected the allegations that its officers used force against Rasković, while the Kosovo Police Inspectorate has been engaged in the case and is expected to clarify the circumstances.
Political analyst Dorajet Imeri says the Kosovo Police statement and subsequent developments raise serious questions about the version presented by Serbian political representatives.
“The Kosovo Police issued a statement and confirmed that it was not involved in the incident. It now remains for the investigation to establish what happened and who was behind the alleged violence against him,” Imeri said.
According to Imeri, one scenario that must be seriously investigated is whether Rasković was attacked by illegal Serbian structures operating in northern Kosovo.
“There is a possibility that the person in question was assaulted by illegal Serbian structures if they suspected that he might cooperate with Kosovo institutions regarding cases involving mass graves. In such a scenario, the aim could have been to intimidate and silence him, while responsibility was then shifted onto the Kosovo Police,” Imeri said.
He stressed that this remains a hypothesis that must be verified by the competent authorities and is not an established fact.
Imeri: Sending Rasković to Belgrade makes the case harder to clarify
According to Imeri, another element raising questions is Rasković’s transfer to Belgrade after the case became public and the Kosovo Police issued its response.
“With his transfer to Serbia, a situation is created in which he is not easily accessible to Kosovo institutions to provide a statement and help fully clarify the circumstances. At the same time, the narrative accusing Kosovo and the Kosovo Police can continue without a complete process of verifying the facts,” Imeri said.
He argues that authorities must investigate not only the initial allegation against the Kosovo Police, but also the possibility that pressure, intimidation or violence was used by illegal Serbian structures against someone who may possess information about war crimes.
“Serbia is extremely aggressive when it comes to information about war crimes”
Imeri links the case to recent developments involving searches for mass graves and information about people missing during the Kosovo war.
“Serbia is extremely aggressive when it comes to cases of war crimes, especially regarding people who may have information about the locations of mass graves. We have also seen other cases involving Serbs who came under suspicion or faced actions after allegedly providing information about mass graves,” Imeri said.
According to him, precisely for this reason, the Rasković case must be investigated beyond the competing political narratives.
“It must be established who assaulted him, where the attack occurred, who was in contact with him before and after the incident, and whether this person had information connected to war crimes or mass graves. Only a full investigation can answer these questions,” Imeri concluded.
The possibility that illegal Serbian structures may have been involved cannot simply be dismissed, particularly amid ongoing investigations into mass graves in northern Kosovo. If intimidation was used to prevent information about wartime crimes from emerging, those responsible must be identified and held accountable.
